This invention relates to a splint apparatus and in particular to a cushioned splint apparatus for protecting and supporting the limbs of a patient or for immobilizing an injured limb.
Many patients, such as accident victims who are confined to hospital beds, including comatose patients, need support for their limbs to prevent muscle contracture. If a limb is not supported but is permitted to drop, the muscles of the limb tend to contract, thus deforming the limb and causing it to curl up and resulting in the need for special rehabilitation to correct the contracted condition of the limb.
Some prior art devices have been provided for supporting limbs of patients. These devices have been unsatisfactory since they have not adequately protected limbs from contraction and furthermore because they have tended to result in injury to the patient's skin as they block air circulation to the skin and prevent the skin from breathing. Such prior art devices comprise, for instance, wrist sleeves which may be padded or formed of a resilient material and which include tie down straps to tie a patient's limbs to the rails of the bed on which the patient is confined. Since these devices do not prevent bending of the limb, they have not prevented muscle contracture. These prior art devices also left part of the limb unprotected which resulted in sheet burns and caused the unprotected portion of the limb to become too cold or to become injured from contact with hard surfaces such as the bed frame and the like. Also because of the need to tie these devices to the bed, the patient, even a comatose patient, resists such restriction and this results in further contraction and deterioration of the limbs of the patient. Lastly, the prior art wrist sleeves have not been capable of use with intravenous and catheter devices so that such devices needed to be removed in order to accommodate the tubings which must be used with intravenous feeding equipment, catheters and the like.
A need also exists for an athletic splint apparatus for immobilizing injured limbs of athletes and for a splint apparatus which is convenient to wrap about an injured limb and to apply an ice pack or a heat pack to the limb.
Accordingly it is desired to provide a splint apparatus to immobilize limbs and to inhibit the limbs from bending to prevent muscle contracture and to prevent or decrease muscle atrophy. It is also desired to provide such an apparatus which is soft and protects limbs from hard surfaces while permitting the patient's skin to breathe while preventing the limb to become cold. It is further desired to provide such an apparatus which is compatible with the use of tubings for catheters and the like. Lastly, it is desired to provide such an apparatus to enable immobilization of limbs and convenient application of ice packs or heat packs to limbs.